Silent as the Grave
by Taedae
Summary: 6 months after Voldemort's demise Hermione receives a mysterious letter implying that Voldemort's rein of terror isn't over. Hermione sets out in search for the answers, stumbling upon a lost ancient magic that could destroy the world.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't know what to say, Mione." Harry sat on the couch, hunched forward. He handed the letter to Ron and fixed his gaze on Hermione. "When did this letter arrive?"

"Yesterday."

Ron frowned as he finished reading. "Why didn't he tell us about this before?"

"I don't know." Hermione took the letter from Ron's out stretched hand and placed it on the coffee table.

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_If this letter has been delivered then you already know of my passing. I'm sure that by now yourself, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley understand why my death was necessary.__ I expect that by this time, Lord Voldemort's rein of terror has come to an end. Take some time to pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives to bring peace. But I regret to inform you that the threat is not yet over._

_I wish I could tell you more in this letter but I fear the information may not be safe if put into written record. Seek out a man named Delix Forge. He will know why I have sent you.__ There isn't much time left.__ I place my trust in you, Ms. Granger._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Hermione and Ron exchanged uneasy looks.

"I don't understand," Harry finally whispered. "It's been half a year since Voldemort's demise. The surviving Death Eaters have been sent to Azkaban. What threat could he be talking about?"

"I don't know." Hermione folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. "But there has never been a reason to not trust Dumbledore. I send a letter to Delix Forge this morning but there is no telling how long it will take to be delivered to him. For all we know he could live in a different country."

"I guess we'll have to wait for now then." The three of them turned to see Ginny stepping into the living room, baby Teddy Lupin sitting happily on her hip. "Nothing more we can do until we hear back from Delix."

Harry nodded. "I wish we had more to go on right now, but Ginny is right."

Hermione smiled as she watched Ginny tickle Teddy's nose. "You two have really changed in the past several months."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Ron grinned. "Acting like parents already and you two aren't even twenty yet."

"What did you expect?" Ginny playfully shot back. "Harry and I have been tasked with taking care of Teddy. Sure, we have help from our family and the Order but ..." She smiled as Teddy started to chew on his bib.

Ron stretched and walked passed Ginny into the kitchen. Hermione watched as Ginny sat next to Harry and placed Teddy on his lap. After a minute, she stood and followed Ron out of the room.

She found Ron by the refrigerator, a glass of water in his hand.

"It's hard to not be changed after what happened." Ron gazed out the window as he spoke.

Hermione nodded and sat at the table. "Harry and Ginny really care about Teddy. I wouldn't be surprised if they start having their own children soon."

Ron lowered the glass and grimaced. "They aren't even married yet, Mione. Besides, I'd rather not think of Harry and my sister like that."

"Ron, they share a bedroom."

Ron stuck his tongue out before chugging the rest of his water, refusing to continue the discussion. Hermione grinned.

Yes, much had changed since Lord Voldemort's demise six months previously. Kingsley Shacklebolt had taken over a Minister for Magic and worked diligently to restore the Ministry. He had created a special Aurors division made up of the members of the Order and assigned them the task of arresting the remaining loyal Death Eaters. Several of the students who had been part of Dumbledore's Army had been hired as part of the division, including Harry, Ron, George, and Seamus. Neville and Luna had been offered the job as well, but Luna declined in favor of traveling while Neville had taken the post of Herbology instructor at Hogwarts.

Several others from Hogwarts returned to finish their education, while others took up other positions within the reformed Ministry. Hermione worked with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Ron still lived at home with his mother and father, as well as Percy. Bill and Fleur had moved to France. George still lived in the apartment above his shop but was now joined his new roommate, Lee Jordan. Ginny and Harry had bought a house in a small muggle neighborhood and moved in together with Teddy after being declared his official guardians. Ginny had decided to stay home with Teddy for now while Harry worked so she could figure out what career she wanted to pursue. Hermione had tracked down her parents and restored their memories. They returned to London and moved into a new house close to where they had lived before.

As for Hogwarts, Professor McGongagall had become Head Mistress. She and the rest of the staff had spent the first three months after Voldemort's fall rebuilding the castle.

Ron cleared his throat. "Besides, I'd like to let myself believe that Harry and Ginny have the decency to wait until marriage." He grimaced again and added "Scratch that. Just let me pretend that even after marriage, any kids they have will be delivered by penguin."

"You mean stork," Hermione corrected with a laugh. Ron stuck his tongue out again and strode back into the living room.

Hermione tugged the letter out of her pocket.

"What didn't you tell us, Professor?" She gazed out the kitchen window, frowning.

"Hermione!"

She jumped and whipped her head around as Harry came bounding into the kitchen, a letter clutched in his hand.

"Delix sent a reply."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This is more than likely going to be the shortest chapter in the entire story. I will be posting the second chapter in the next couple of days. Please review and watch if you are interested so far! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione stepped into the warmth of the coffee pub, shaking the snow off her jacket. The letter from Delix had asked her to meet him there, a block away from the visitor's entrance to the Ministry. She had been quite thankful that they were meeting in a public place. The war had trained her to be on edge when dealing with someone new.

Harry had offered to meet Delix with her, but she had declined. She would be meeting him on her lunch break and she knew it would be more difficult for Harry to find time in his work schedule to be there.

Hermione glanced around, not entirely sure who she was looking for. After a moment, she decided that she was probably early and walked up to the counter to order a small hot chocolate. She then found a small table at the back of the room, away from the other customers.

She kept her eyes on the door but she didn't have to wait for long. A young man, appearing no older than twenty-five, stepped through the door within minutes. He had long brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail, pale skin, and a long, deep purple cloak pulled tightly around him.

He glanced around and smiled as he spotted her. He stepped up to the counter and then came straight to her table, hot drink in his hand.

"You must be Ms. Granger." He shook her hand before sitting. "Thank you for meeting with me."

"My pleasure."

Delix smiled and sipped his drink. "How long do we have?"

"About an hour. Lunch break."

"I'm sorry for taking you away from your work."

"It's not a problem." Hermione pulled Dumbledore's letter from her pocket and handed it to him across the table. "I'm sure you already know what it says but I thought you might want to read it anyway."

Nodding, he opened the parchment. As he read, Hermione sipped her hot chocolate. After a moment, he handed the letter back.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me then, Ms. Granger. I'll do my best to answer them."

Hermione frowned. "I wish I had as many questions as you think I do. I honestly don't know where to start." He nodded, sipping his drink again and waited. She glanced out the window, gathering her thoughts. "Who are you?"

Delix chuckled. "That's quite a bold start." Hermione opened her mouth to apologize but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Not to worry, Ms. Granger. I would want to ask much the same if I were in your shoes. I was a long time acquaintance of Professor Dumbledore."

"Acquaintance?" Hermione interjected.

"Ah, you caught that." Delix smiled. "Yes, we weren't always on the friendliest of terms. We both had different opinions and were both too suborn to back down from them." He sipped his drink before continuing. "But we often conversed if for no other reason than to get a different angle on a situation."

"I've never heard him speak of you before."

Delix's glaze flickered away for a moment. "He had his reasons, Ms. Granger."

Hermione eyed him carefully. "Do you have any information about the threat Dumbledore mentioned?"

"Lord Voldemort."

Hermione stared for a moment, expecting more but Delix simply watched her over the top of his mug.

"Voldemort is dead."

"Yes." He stopped again. Hermione drew in a breath of frustration. They sat in silence for a moment, watching each other carefully. "How old are you, Ms. Granger?"

"Eighteen."

"Ah, I see." He sighed and his expression turned grim. "Professor Dumbledore told me you were quite bright fro your age but I didn't expect ..." He drifted off for a moment, fixing a neutral expression on his face. "Have you ever heard of the art of Necromancy, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione, about to drink, paused with her mug part way to her lips. "Ne-necromancy?" Recovering, she placed the mug back on the table. "There is no such thing outside of muggle stories."

"Are you sure about that?"

She opened her mouth but suddenly found herself unsure.

"The Ministry has indeed done a wonderful job at hiding it," he added.

"What?"

Delix moved his mug aside and folded his arms on the table, leaning forward.

"Centuries ago, the magical community had been hit with a lethal illness. Anyone who contracted the disease usually lived no longer than twenty-four hours. None of the potions, herbs, or spells of the time could stop it. However, those who died didn't stay dead for long." He paused, gaging her reaction. "Hours after their death, they would wake as if they had merely been sleeping. They could move, talk, and practice magic as if nothing had happened. But they had changed; no pulse, never hungry or thirsty, and they didn't need to sleep anymore. It was suspected that they had become vampires but they did not have fangs, blood cravings, and could easily be out in the sun. It wasn't until much later that they discovered they could now perform types of magic that no others could."

"Such as raising the dead?"

"Among many other things." Delix glazed out the window. "Most of their capabilities remained a secret between those who had become Necromancers. They feared that if the rest of the magical community knew of what they could do that they would be hunted down and disposed of."

"Disposed of?" Hermione fixed him with puzzled expression.

"It's hard to kill someone with no heartbeat, Ms. Granger." Delix waved his hand in dismissal. "None the less, the Ministry later declared Necromancy to be too dangerous and outlawed it's practice. They pruned the information from every book and hunted down as many of them as possible, stripping their memories and snapping their wands believing that their efforts would allow the knowledge to die out."

"But," Hermione crossed her arms, "You said those who became Necromancers had contracted an illness. Doesn't that mean no one can learn Necromancy?"

"Correct."

"Why then did the Ministry bother wiping their memories if they couldn't teach their craft to anyone?"

"Necromancy is genetic, Ms. Granger. If they had allowed them to keep their memories, they would train their children how to tap into those powers. The Ministry hoped that with their memories gone, while the ability would run in their bloodline, that it wouldn't be possible for the future generations to practice their craft without training.

"Of course, there were some Necromancers who caught wind of what the Ministry was up to and went into hiding. Though it wasn't exactly easy. A Necromancer's eyes have a glassy overlay of sorts, similar to the appearance of a blind muggle's eyes. Those who evaded the Ministry's efforts spend years perfecting ways to hide their true eyes from the world."

Delix fell silent and watched Hermione as she digested the information.

"You said it would be hard for Necromancers to die. So there must still be a lot of them today."

"Not exactly. If they practiced their craft regularly their life span would get extended. But those who had their memory stripped were unable to tap into that kind of magic and they eventually met their final death. Being an illness, that kind of magic needs to be released whenever possible or it overwhelms and consumes the body."

Hermione nodded. "So those who escaped, most of them would still be alive today?"

"Yes."

They fell silent again. Hermione sipped her hot chocolate. As she lowered the mug, something struck her.

"They could bring Voldemort back, couldn't they?"

Delix held her gaze. "In theory. There are a lot of complications with raising the dead. The Necromancer involved would need to be as powerful if not more powerful than the person they are trying to resurrect, among other things."

"Is it possible for multiple Necromancers to pool their power to raise someone who was more powerful?" He didn't respond; he didn't need to. Hermione blew out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "That's what Dumbledore was talking about, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Hermione tore her gaze away. Her heart was beating faster than normal as the turned the information around in her head.

"Why is it Dumbledore sent me to you, Mr. Forge?" She kept her gaze averted.

"There is someone I know who may be able to help stop the Death Eaters from gathering enough Necromancers."

"Who?"

Delix drew his mug to his lips and drank silently. He placed the empty mug back on the table and cleared his throat. Hermione met his gaze.

"Severus Snape."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>** _Thank you to all who have started watching the story! If you have any constructive comments, please feel free to review. I take your comments and opinions into account as I continue to expand the story. Please do not flame; if you disapprove of something please only leave constructive criticism. On the other hand, if you enjoy the story, please let me know as well! It will make my day :P_


End file.
